Page 53 of Perfectly Perfect Pixie

I didn’t think Sedrick had a death wish, but I began to change my mind as he continued to ignore my rage.

“Sedrick, if you wish to see Philodendron again, explain. Now.”

Mentioning his mate finally drew Sedrick’s attention from my bottled blood. The nearly full bottle landed on the table with an overly loud thud.

“I don’t know what that is, but good human blood isn’t it.” Sedrick flicked a claw against the glass.

My rage settled into banked coals. “I enjoy a little ogre with my human blood. It shouldn’t smell straight-up human.”

Nose wrinkled, Sedrick wasn’t impressed. “Setting aside how gross that is, an ogre’s not what I’m smelling either.” Pointing at the bottle, he stated, “That blood is sick.” At my raised eyebrows, Sedrick clarified. “I’m not talking about blood drinking in general. What I’m saying is there’s something fundamentally wrong with that blood. I can smell it.” With a shake of his head, Sedrick appeared more perplexed than upset. “I can’t put my finger on it exactly. The best I can say is that it smells wrong like the donor was ill.”

“Impossible.” I waved a hand, dismissing Sedrick’s claim. “My blood donors are vetted and kept very healthy. They are well cared for and receive the best medical attention.” Not all vampires could afford such luxury. I wasn’t most vampires.

Sedrick shrugged. “I’m not sure what to tell you, Lucroy. But I’m not wrong.”

Fangs and talons retracting, my vision cleared, along with my mind. Settling, I stared at the bottle. I’d removed the seal myself. My blood was stored in a safe few could access, and I trusted them implicitly. Johnny brought me the bottle, and his loyalty was without question.

“You are positive?”

“I’d bet your life on it,” Sedrick answered, thick arms crossed as he leaned back. He might not know it, but he’d also nearly bet his own life on it.

I studied the bottle. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had tried to assassinate me. Tampering with a vampire’s blood was an excellent method. It was why mine was so closely guarded. It was also why the vampire council had strict rules, regulations, and oversight on donated blood as a whole. Tampering with the blood supply was a death sentence. If the vampire council didn’t end you, fairy law would.

Without another word, I held up my hand, crooking my finger. Lizbeth quickly appeared. She took one look at the spilled blood and blanched.

“Lizbeth, would you be a dear and please clean up this . . . unfortunate mess. Also, I would like to speak with Johnny. Please send him out.”

“Yes, Mr. Moony.” Lizbeth quickly did as asked.

When she reached for the bottle, I said, “Leave it.” Lizbeth’s hand halted, stone-still, before she pulled it away.

“I’ll get Johnny.”

“Please do.”

Lizbeth hurried off.

I watched her go, never taking my eyes off her as she retreated, and asked, “Thoughts?”

“About the human female?” Sedrick rightly guessed. “She was scared, but not terrified, not like I’d expect someone to be that had a hand in that.” Sedrick pointed to the bottled blood. “I don’t think she knows what’s going on. Most likely, she was just nervous about the spilled blood.”

I gave a single nod. “That pleases me. Lizbeth is a credit to her species. I would hate to hasten her death. Human lives are fleeting as is.”

Sedrick grunted before he raised his mug of beer to his nose, inhaling deeply. His nose twitched a couple of times. Evidently deciding it wasn’t nearly as contaminated as my blood, he took a large draft, swallowing deeply. A belch of satisfaction made me cringe.

Werewolves.They could be disgusting creatures.

Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Sedrick said, “I know what you mean. I’ve got a couple of humans working the mine. They’re good workers, loyal men, and I’ve grown fond of them. Ollie and Burt like them too. We don’t discuss it much, but it’s a ticking time bomb. We’ll miss them when they’re gone. Too bad more of humanity isn’t that way.”

I didn’t even bother shrugging. Beyond a food source, humans were of little concern. It seemed odd, considering all vampires were once human, how little we came to care for them. Maybe it was because we viewed them as food. Some vampires fell in love with humans. Most beloveds were humans. Still, those incidents were rare.

Johnny trotted over, his kilt swishing around his furred legs. “Lizbeth said there was an accident with the blood.” Johnny’s eyes traveled the table. “She cleaned it up but was pretty freaked. What happened?” Johnny’s gaze latched on to Sedrick.

“Guilty as charged.” Sedrick saluted Johnny with his mug of beer before taking another large gulp.

Johnny’s face twisted with disgust. Pointing a finger in Sedrick’s direction, Johnny was ready to rip Sedrick apart. “That’s beyond rude. If you weren’t Phil’s mate, I’d—”

“Johnny,” I coolly interjected, halting his tirade.

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